Wheel retainer with screw actuated clamps



s. w. HAYES 2,9005923 WHEEL RETAINER WITH SCREW ACTUATED CLAMPS ,Original Filed .'Jarx' 3, 1952 Aug. 25, 1959 United States Patent O WHEEL RETAINER WITH SCREW ACTUATED CLAMPS Stanley W. Hayes, Richmond, Ind., assignor to Hayes Track Appliance Company, Richmond, Ind., a corporation of Indiana riginal application January 3, 1952, Serial No. 264,703,

now Patent No. 2,835,207, dated May 20, 1958. Divided and this application September 3, 1957, Serial No. 681,634

4 Claims. (Cl. 104- 258) The present invention relates to improvements in railway wheel retainers which are also known as wheel chocks or rail clamps.

The wheel retainers of this invention represent improvements over that disclosed in Stanley W. Hayes Patent No. 2,359,106, issued September 26, 1944, and this application is a division of copending application Serial No. 264,703, led January 3, 1952, and issued into Patent No. 2,835,207, dated May 20, 1958.

Frequently it is necessary to block a railway car against movement, such, for example, as when the car is on a grade or is on a siding, and might accidentally move or be moved Iinto an open switch or the main line. Such blocking is of a temporary nature, and uninformed or careless workmen many times resort to wedging a chunk of wood between the rail and the car wheel. This is an unsafe and unreliable method of blocking the car against movement, because the wood can easily be dislodged, or

crushed or splintered by the car wheel, should the car be i p vide an improved Wheel retainer which is relatively light in weight, simple in construction, and readily applied to and removed from a rail.

Another objectis to provide an improved wheel retainer of composite Welded construction, made primarily Vfrom the bar and plate stock.

Another object is to provide an improved wheel retainer which may be rigidly clamped onto rails of varying heights having different sizes of rail heads.

Another object is to provide an improved wheel retainer having opposed rail head gripping and clamping elements which are brought into and retained in clamping position by a rotatable screw means, the axis of which lies in a plane common to the movable carrier for the clamping elements to provide a minimum amount of strain on the parts consistent with the force required to clamp the retainer to the rail.

Another object is to provide an improved wheel retainer having opposed rail head gripping and clamping elements disposed on either side of a pair of upstanding vertically slotted plates with a transverse shaft extending through the vertical slots in the plates and apertures -in the clamping elements and a vertical screw positioned between said plates and threaded through the shaft so thatappropriate rotation of the screw raises or lowers the shaft and the clamping elements carried thereby.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein- 4ligl isA an elevational view of a preferredl form of wheel retainer constructed according to the present inven- ICC 2 4 tion and showing the retainer clamped to a rail and i chocking position 4against a railway car wheel;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the wheel retainer;

Fig. 3 is an end elevational View of the wheel retainer and may be considered as being taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. l; and i Fig. 4 is a vertical medial sectional view of thewheel retainer and may be considered as being taken substantially along the line 4 4 of Fig. l, but showing the clamping elements in their lowermost or disengaged positions.

As will be apparent from the drawing, the wheel re tainer 12 is mounted upon a rail 14 by clamping it to the head 16 thereof in such a position that the tread 18 of a railway car wheel 20 may be in abutting relationship with the wheel retainer. The wheel retainer 12 comprises a main frame 88 which includes a central upstand` ing portion 24 and a base portion 26 which is a closed rectangular loop formed from bar stock and welded to4 vertically extending plates 96. The lower ends of the plates 96 are interconnected by a pad 98, which has its outer lower face coplanar with the lower edges of the plates 96, and to which the plates 96 are welded. Thus -the lower edges of the plates 96, the lower face of the pad 98, and the lower tangential edge of the base loop 26 lie in a common plane on top of the rail head 16. At its forward end the pad 98 extends upwardly slightly at 100 to give additional support to the wheel retainer frame i and to provide additional area for welding the upstanding central portion 24 of the frame to the base loop 26. At one side of the wheel retainer the base loop 26 is provided with a U-shaped handle 32 welded thereto and by means of which the wheel retainer may be carried and placed upon the rail.

The sides plates 96 are provided with aligned vertically extending slots 102 through which extends a shaft 104 from which depends a pair of identical clamping elements 106. Each clamping element 106 includes a generally vertically extending plate 108 which is apertured at 110 adjacent its upper end to receive the shaft 104. At approximately its midpoint the plate 108 is p bent outwardly at 112 so as to clear the heads of rails having substantial width, or to clear the Aheads of the larger sizes of rails. The plate 108 is bent inwardly and downwardly at its lower end to form a shelf 114 which is adapted to engage beneath the rail head 16 when the clamping element is moved into clamping position. Each clamping element 106 includes a pair of cams 116 welded to the outer face of the plate 108 below the outward bend 112. The cam members havedownwardly and outwardly sloping cam faces 118 terminating in heel portions 120 at approximately the connection ybetween the main body ofthe plate and the downwardly and inwardly inclined shelf 114. Each cam mem` ber 116 has a portion 122 welded to the outer face of the shelf portion 114 to lend additional support thereto. The cam surfaces 118 are adapted to engage the arcuate fulcrum surfaces 62 provided by the inner surface of the base loop 26 to move the lower ends of the clamping elements inwardly, the extent of the inward movement depending upon the extent of the upward movement of the shaft 104. This inward movement of theI clamping, l

elements causes the shelf portions 114 to move inwardly belowthe rail he'ad V16vto insure that the engage and firmly seat against the lower outer corners of the rail head 16. As the fulcrum surfaces 62 are arcuate they provide a low resistance line. of Contact with the cam surfaces 118, regardless of the relative angular positions of the cam members and the b aseV loop.l

The clamping elements are retained upon the. shaft 104 byfdiametrical retaining elements 124 which are welded acrossithe-outer ends of the shaft 104.

lThe clamping elements 106 are :moved into clamping positionby means of an actuating mechanism 126. The actuating mechanism 126 includes a vertical screw or bolt 128 which is threaded through a tapped hole 130 inthe shaft 104 at its longitudinal midpoint. The screw 128 is positioned between the plates 96 and at its lower end. is welded.` to a bearing sleeve or ring 134 and the ring and 4itslower end face 132 abut and act against the pad 98lying between the plates' 96. at their bottom edges; The upper end of the screw 12S is provided with a bearing sleeve.136, and the sleeves 134 and 136 locate the screw 128 between the plates. The screw 128 has-welded to its upper end a sleeve 138 which pivotally receives'a pin 140`carried by the arms of a yoke 142. The closed end of the yoke is welded to a turning handle 144 bymeans of which the screw is turned to raise and lower the shaft 104 in the slot 102. A universal joint type of arrangement is thus provided at the upper end of the bolt 128 so that the wheel retainer may be placed against the wheel to be chocked and the handle 144- manipulated.

The; retainer is constructed by rst assembling the frame comprising the base loop 26, the upstanding slotted plates 96, the pad 98, and the abutment plate 90. These are assembled into a unit and the parts welded together. The clamping elements 106 are separately formed' andare inserted upwardly through spaces 146 betweenv the outer faces of the plates 96 and the fulcrum surfaces 62 on the base loop 26. The shaft 104 is insertedthrough the aligned apertures 110 in the clamping elements and the slots 102 in the plates 96. The screw 128 is threaded down through the opening 130 and the ring 134 is weldedto its lower end. This is readily' accomplished since the plates are open at their endsand the screw and shaft may be turned to project the end'of the screw from therebetween. Before being threaded onto the shaft104, the screw 128 is provided with the upper bearing collar 136. At the conclusion of theassembly operation the retainers 124 may be welded across the outer ends of the shaft 104, thus permanently securing all of the elements of the wheeliretainer together. It is not possible, therefore, for any one or more parts of the wheel'retainer to become. separated since they are welded together and may only be taken apart by cutting them with `a torch or saw.

In placing the retainer` on a rail, the screw` 128 is unscrewed sufficiently -to move the shaft 104 to the lower ends of the slots 102, thereby to move the clampingrelements 106 to their lowermost or open position. The clamping elements are separatedand the wheel retainer is set on top of the rail head 16 so that the central portion 24is aligned with the axis of the rail which brings the wheel abutment face 92 into its proper wheel tread abutting position. If the railway car has been spotted in position the wheel retainer is moved along the rail to contact the abutment face 92 against the wheel tread 18. The screw V126 is turned in `the clockwise direction to screw the shaft 104 upwardly, it being held against rotation by the edges of the slots 102 in the plates 96. Upward movement of the shaft 104 raises the clamp.- ing elements 106 in the spaces 146 at either side of the lcentral portion 24. This movement causes the cam surfaces 11S slidably to engage the fulcrum surfaces 62 on the base loop 26. As the cam surfaces diverge downwardly, their sliding contact with the fulcrum surfaces moves the lower ends of the clamping elements 106 ltoward the center of the rail, which eventually results` in a contact between the downwardly and inwardly inclined shell portions 114 against the underside of the rail head 16. T-he clamping means is tightened by and may be set by smartly tapping the handle 144 in the clockwise direction. (Fig. 2f) with a hammer or lightly weighted object. The retainer is removed from the rail by reversing these operations.

From the foregoing` description it is clear that thev obi jectives which were claimed for the improved wheelrre- -tainer of this invention have been obtained. The wheel retainer is simple in construction, easy to place uponarail, hasfew parts and, therefore, may be economically made, and it is light in weight.

While a preferred embodiment constituting the wheel retainer of this inventionl has been shown and described, itvwill be apparent that modifications and variations thereof maybe made without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. It is, therefore, de-

sired by the following claims to include within the scope" of the invention allrsuch variations and modifications by which substantially the results of this invention may be obtained through the use of substantially the same' or equivalent means.

What is new, and desired rto be secured' by United Letters Patent, is:

l. A wheel retainer adapted to be mounted on a railway rail, comprising in combination, a wheel abutment"V providing frame structure adapted to be seated on top of" a rail head and includingV a pair of upstanding spaced parallel vertically slotted plates and means forming fu`1` crum surfaces at both sides of the outer faces of said` plates and spaced therefrom and in a plane immediately' below the lower ends of the plate slots, and a frame part" positioned between and secured to said plates at their' lower ends and below said plate slots; movable clamping elements at either side of said plates with a clamping ele ing elements into and out of clamping position; ascrew' threaded through said shaft in the plane of vertical movement of said shaft and acting against said part of said' frame and bearing means carried by said screw to posi-m tion said screw between said plates for rotation abouta vertical axis, whereby when said screw is rotated in one direction said shaft `is raised to move said clamping ele-- ments into clamping position below the rail head and to simultaneously clamp said frame structure against the'top of the rail head and whensaid screw is rotated in theopposite direction said shaft is lowered to release said' clamping elements from clamping position.

2. A wheel retainer adapted to be mounted on a rail-` way rail, comprising in combination, a wheel abutment providing frame structure including a pad adapted to be seated on top of a rail head,A a pair of upstanding spaced parallel vertically slotted plates connected at their lowerends to said pad, and means forming fulcrum surfaces at both sides of the outer faces of said plates and spaced' therefrom, movable clamping elements at either side of said plates with a clamping element between one plate and one of said fulcrum surfaces and another clamping;V element between said other plate and the other of said!V fulcrum surfaces, said clamping elements each havingan-aperture therein, a part engagingv beneath the-rail head, and an outwardly and downwardly extending-ca1n"` L surface engaging the adjacent fulcrum surface, a shafti-i extending transversely through said slots and said clamping element apertures and being movable vertically in said slots to move said clamping elements into and out of clamping position, and a screw threaded through said shaft, positioned between and guided by said plates for rotation about a vertical axis, and acting against said pad in the plane of vertical movement of said shaft, whereby when said screw is rotated in one direction said shaft is raised to move said clamping elements into clamping position below the rail head and to clamp the pad against the top of the rail head and when said screw is rotated in the opposite direction said `shaft is lowered to release said clamping elements from clamping position.

3. A wheel retainer adapted to be mounted on a railway rail, comprising in combination, structure adapted to be seated on top of a rail head and providing a central vertically slotted wheel abutment portion and ful crurn surfaces at both sides thereof and spaced therefrom, said central portion including a pair of upstanding spaced parallel vertically slotted central plates interconnected at their lower ends by a pad below the slots, movable clamping elements at either side of said central portion with a clamping element between said central portion and each of said fulcrum surfaces, each clamping element including a generally vertically extending plate having an aperture therein adjacent the upper end thereof and an inwardly and downwardly inclined portion at the lower end thereof providing a shelf engaging beneath the rail head and a pair of plates secured to and outstanding from the outer surface of said vertically extending plate, said last named plates having outwardly and downwardly extending carn surfaces at their outer edges engaging the adjacent fulcrum surface, said last named plates including parts extending below and supporting said inwardly and downwardly inclined portion, a shaft extending through said central plate slots and sai-d apertures and being movable vertically within said slots to raise and lower said clamping elements, a screw positioned between said spaced central plates and threaded through said shaft and acting against said pad in a vertical plane extending through said slots and the center line of said shaft, and bearing means carried by said screw at its upper and lower ends to locate said screw between said plates for rotation about a vertical axis, whereby when said screw is rotated in one direction said shaft is raised to move said clamping elements into clamping position and when said screw is rotated inthe opposite direction said shaft is lowered to release said clamping elements from clamping position.

4. A wheel retainer adapted to be mounted on a railway rail, comprising in combination, structure adapted 6 to be seated on top of a rail head and providing a central vertically slotted wheel abutment portion and fulcrum surfaces at both sides thereof and spaced therefrom, said central portion including a pair of upstanding spaced parallel vertically slotted central plates and a rail head engaging pad interconnecting said plates at their lower ends and in the vertical plane of said slots, movable clamping elements at either side of said central portion with a clamping element between said central portion and each of said fulcrum surfaces, each clamping element including a generally vertically extending plate having an aperture therein adjacent the upper end thereof and an inwardly and downwardly inclined portion at the lower end thereof providing a shelf engaging beneath the rail head and a pair of plates secured to and outstanding from the outer surface of said vertically extending plate, said last named plates having outwardlyrand downwardly extending cam surfaces at their outer edges engaging the adjacent fulcrum surface, said last named plates including parts extending below and supporting said inwardly and downwardly inclined portion, a shaft extending through said central plate slots and said apertures and being movable vertically within said slots to raise and lower said clamping elements, a screw positioned between said spaced central plates, threaded through said shaft and acting against said pad in a vertical plane extending through said slots and the center line of said shaft, and a pair of bearing sleeves carried by said screw at the opposite sides of said shaft and positioning said screw between said plates for rotation about a vertical axis, one of said bearing sleeves vbeing located at the lower end of said screw, and the other at the upper end of the threads of said screw, whereby when said screw is rotated in one direction said shaft is raised to move said clamping elements into clamping position below the rail head and to clamp said pad against the top of the rail head and when said screw is rotated in the opposite direction said shaft is lowered to release said clamping elements from clamping position.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,104,528 Melville July 21, 1914 1,741,613 Catignani Dec. 31, 1929 2,303,560 Knight Dec. l, 1942 2,359,106 Hayes Sept. 26, 1944 2,762,314 Hayes Sept. 11, 1956 2,789,517 Hayes Apr. 23, 1 957 UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE CERTIFICATE @E CORRECTION Paine-11E No., 2,900,923 August; 25, T9559 Stanlty IIL, Hayes Column 2, line 46, for "depends" Tead m dcepend m; colmi 3y 85 for "diametrioal" read dameral m; column 4, lines 9: and 5G, out "in The plane of Vertial movement of Said Shaft@ T in@ 5I., after "frame" insert in the piane of. Verticaal movmnt of Said SIN-15159 @no Signed and Sealed This 23rd day of February 196Go (SEAL) Attest:

KARL E- MINE ROBERT C. WATSON Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

